Overview

Night Watch and Day Watch, the first two books in this remarkable series, established Sergei Lukyanenko as a breathtakingly bold talent. Part fantasy, part vampire story, and part detective potboiler, this is the most successful science fiction series of all time in Russia and a true international sensation. In America, Fox Searchlight released the film adaptation of Night Watch to rapturous reviews, and adaptations of the next two books are in production.

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Overview

Night Watch and Day Watch, the first two books in this remarkable series, established Sergei Lukyanenko as a breathtakingly bold talent. Part fantasy, part vampire story, and part detective potboiler, this is the most successful science fiction series of all time in Russia and a true international sensation. In America, Fox Searchlight released the film adaptation of Night Watch to rapturous reviews, and adaptations of the next two books are in production.

The world of Lukyanenko is as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov: Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce.

In Dusk Watch, the Others face their greatest threat yet. A renegade Other, his identity as yet unknown, has absconded with a fabled spell-book of untold power and appears bent on attacking the entire earth. Now forces of the Light and the Dark -- the Night Watch and the Day Watch -- must cooperate to stop him. Anton, the hero from Night Watch, is back, but when the culprit turns out to be none other than his partner, the race against time becomes more urgent than ever. In a world where reality and magic commingle, and where different degrees of existence are layered one atop the other, nothing is ever quite what it seems.

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Meet the Author

Sergei Lukyanenko began publishing science fiction in the 1980s and is the most popular science fiction writer in Russia. The author of over 25 books, he lives in Moscow. Doubleday Canada will publish the fourth installment in the series, The Last Watch, in 2008.

Read an Excerpt

PROLOGUE

The genuine old communal courtyards in Moscow’s apartment blocks disappeared sometime between the eras of the two popular bards Vysotsky and Okudzhava.

It’s a strange business. Even after the revolution, when for purposes of the struggle against ‘the slavery of the kitchen’, they actually did away with kitchens in housing blocks, nobody tried to get rid of the courtyards. Every proud Stalinist block that displayed its Potemkin façade to the broad avenue beside it had to have a courtyard — large and green, with tables and benches, with a yard-keeper scraping the asphalt clean every morning. Then the age of five-storey sectional housing arrived — and the courtyards shrivelled and became bare, the yard-keepers who had been so grave and staid were replaced by yard women, who regarded it as their duty to give little boys who got up to mischief a clip round the ear and upbraid residents who came home drunk. But even so, the courtyards still hung on.

And then, as if in response to the increased tempo of life, the houses stretched upwards. From nine storeys to sixteen, or even twenty-four. And as if each building was allocated the right only to a certain volume of space, rather than an area of ground, the courtyards withered right back to the entrances and the entrances opened their doors straight onto the public streets, while the male and female yard-keepers disappeared and were replaced by communal services functionaries.

Okay, so the courtyards came back later, but by no means to all the buildings, as if they’d taken offence at being treated so scornfully before. The new courtyards were bounded by high walls, with fit, well-groomed young men sitting in the gate lodges, and car parks concealed under the English lawns. The children in these courtyards played under the supervision of nannies, the drunken residents were helped from their Mercedes and BMWs by bodyguards accustomed to dealing with anything, and the new yard-keepers tidied up the English lawns with German mowers.

This courtyard was one of the new ones.

The multistorey towers on the bank of the River Moscow were known throughout Russia. They were the capital’s new symbol — replacing the faded Kremlin and the TsUM department store, which had become just an ordinary shop. The granite embankment with its own quayside, the entrances finished with Venetian plasterwork, the cafés and restaurants, the beauty salons and supermarkets and also, of course, the apartments with two or three hundred square metres of floor space. The new Russia probably needed a symbol like this — pompous and kitschy, like the thick gold chains that men wore round their necks during the period of initial accumulation of capital. And it didn’t matter that most of the apartments that had been bought long ago were still standing empty, the cafés and restaurants were closed, waiting for better times to come, and the waves lapping against the concrete quayside were dirty.

The man strolling along the embankment on this warm summer evening had never worn a gold chain. He possessed a keen in-tuition that was more than adequate as a substitute for good taste. He had switched his Chinese-made Adidas tracksuit in good time for a crimson club jacket and then been the first to ditch the crimson jacket in favour of a Versace suit. He was ahead of the game even in the sports that he played, having abandoned his tennis racket for mountain skis a whole month before all the Kremlin officials ... even though at his age the pleasure he could get from skis was limited to standing on them.

He preferred to live in his mansion house in the Gorki-9 district, only visiting the apartment with the windows overlooking the river when he was with his lover.

But then, he was planning to get rid of his full-time lover — after all, no Viagra can conquer age, and conjugal fidelity was coming back into fashion.

His driver and bodyguards weren’t standing near enough to hear what their employer was saying. But even if the wind did carry snatches of his words to their ears, what was so strange? Why shouldn’t a man make conversation with himself as the working day was drawing to a close, standing all alone above the dancing waves? Where could you ever find a more sympathetic listener than your own self?

The stars were shining dimly through the city smog. On the far bank of the river, tiny lights were coming on in the tower blocks that had no courtyards. Only one in five of the beautiful lamps stretching along the quayside was lit — and that was only to humour the whim of the important man who had decided to take a stroll by the river.

‘I repeat it yet again,’ the man said in a quiet voice.

The water splashed against the embankment — and with it came the answer.

‘It’s impossible. Absolutely impossible.’

The man on the quayside was not surprised by the voice that came out of empty space. He nodded and asked:

‘But what about vampires?’

‘Yes, that’s one possibility,’ his invisible companion agreed. ‘Vampires could initiate you. If you would be happy to exist as non-life ... I won’t lie, they don’t like sunlight, but it’s not fatal to them, and you wouldn’t have to give up risotto with garlic ...’

‘Then what’s the problem?’ the man asked, involuntarily raising his hands to his chest. ‘The soul? The need to drink blood?’

The void laughed quietly.

‘Just the hunger. Eternal hunger. And the emptiness inside. You wouldn’t like it, I’m sure.’

‘What else is there?’ asked the man.

‘Werewolves,’ the voice replied almost jocularly. ‘They can initiate a man too. But werewolves are also one of the lower forms of Dark Others. Most of the time everything’s fine ... but when the frenzy comes over you, you won’t be able to control yourself. Three or four nights each month. Sometimes more, sometimes less.’

‘The new moon,’ the man said with an understanding nod.

The void laughed again:

‘No. Werewolves’ frenzies aren’t linked to the lunar cycle. You’d be able to sense the onset of the madness ten or twelve hours before the moment of transformation. But no one can draw up a precise timetable for you.’

‘That won’t do,’ the man said frostily. ‘I repeat my ... request. I wish to become an Other. Not one of the lower Others who are overwhelmed by fits of bestial insanity. Not a Great Magician, involved in great affairs. A perfectly ordinary, rank-and-file Other ... how does that classification of yours go? Seventh-grade?’

‘It’s impossible,’ the night replied. ‘You don’t have the abilities of an Other. Not even the slightest trace. If you have no musical talent, you can be taught to play the violin. You can become a sportsman, even if you don’t have any natural aptitude for it. But you can’t become an Other. You’re simply a different species. I’m very sorry.’

The man on the embankment laughed:

‘Nothing is ever impossible. If the lowest form of Other is able to initiate human beings, then there must be some way a man can be turned into a magician.’

The dark night said nothing.

‘In any case, I didn’t say I wanted to be a Dark Other. I don’t have the slightest desire to drink innocent people’s blood and go chasing virgins through the fields, or laugh ghoulishly as I lay a curse on someone,’ the man said testily. ‘I would much rather do good deeds ... and in general, your internal squabbles mean absolutely nothing to me.’

‘That ...’ the night began wearily.

‘It’s your problem,’ the man replied. ‘I’m giving you one week. And then I want an answer to my request.’

‘Request?’ the night queried.

The man on the embankment smiled:

‘Yes. So far I’m only asking.’

He turned and walked towards his car — a Russian Volga, the model that would be back in fashion again in about six months.

CHAPTER 1

Even if you love your job, the last day of holiday always makes you feel depressed. Just one week earlier I’d been sunning myself on a nice clean Spanish beach, eating paella (to be quite honest, Uzbeki pilaff is better), drinking cold sangria in a little Chinese restaurant (how come the Chinese make the Spanish national drink better than the natives do?) and buying all sorts of rubbishy resort souvenirs in the shops.

But now it was summer in Moscow again — not exactly hot, but stifling and oppressive. And it was that final day of holiday, when you can’t get your mind to relax any more, but it flatly refuses to function properly.

Maybe that was why I was glad when I got the call from Gesar.

‘Good morning, Anton,’ the boss began, without introducing himself. ‘Welcome back. Did you know it was me?’

I’d been able to sense Gesar’s calls for some time already. It was as if the ringing of the phone changed subtly, becoming more demanding and authoritative.

But I was in no rush to let the boss know that.

‘Yes, Boris Ignatievich.’

‘Are you alone?’

An unnecessary question. I was certain Gesar knew perfectly well where Svetlana was just then.

‘Yes. The girls are at the dacha.’

‘Good for them,’ the boss sighed at the other end of the line, and an entirely human note appeared in his voice. ‘Olga flew off on holiday this morning too ... half the Watch staff are relaxing in southern climes ... Do you think you could call round to the office straight away?’

Before I had time to answer, Gesar went on cheerily.

‘Well, that’s excellent! See you in forty minutes then.’

I really felt like calling Gesar a cheap poser — after I hung up, of course. But I kept my mouth shut. In the first place, the boss could hear what I said without any need of a telephone. And in the second — whatever else he might be, he was no cheap poser. He just didn’t like wasting time. If I was about to say I’d be there in forty minutes, what was the point in listening to me say it?

And anyway, I was really glad I’d got the call. The day was already shot to hell in any case. It was still too early to tidy up the apartment — like any self-respecting man whose family is away, I only do that once, on the final day of bachelor life. And I def-initely didn’t feel like going round to see anyone or inviting anyone back to my place. So by far the most useful thing would be to go back to work a day early — that way, I could ask for time off with a clear conscience when I needed to.

Even though it wasn’t the done thing for us to ask for time off.

‘Thanks, boss,’ I said with real feeling. I detached myself from the armchair, put down the book I hadn’t finished, and stretched.

And then the phone rang again.

Of course, it would have been just like Gesar to ring and say: ‘You’re welcome!’ But that definitely would have been cheap clowning.

‘Hello!’ I said in a very businesslike tone.

‘Anton, it’s me.’

‘Sveta,’ I said, sitting back down again. And suddenly I tensed up — Svetlana’s voice sounded uneasy. Anxious. ‘Sveta, has something happened to Nadya?’

I thought for a few seconds. I hadn’t had any drinking parties, I hadn’t brought any women back home, I wasn’t drowning in refuse, I’d even been washing the dishes ...

And then I realised.

‘Gesar called. Just a moment ago.’

‘What does he want?’ Svetlana asked quickly.

‘Nothing special. He asked me to turn up for work today.’

‘Anton, I sensed something. Something bad. Did you agree? Are you going to work?’

‘Why not? I’ve got nothing else to do.’

Svetlana was silent. Then she said reluctantly:

‘You know, I felt a sort of pricking in my heart. Do you believe I can sense trouble?’

I laughed:

‘Yes, Great One.’

‘Anton, be serious, will you!’ Svetlana was instantly uptight, the way she always got when I called her Great One. ‘Listen to me ... if Gesar asks you to do something, say no.’

‘Sveta, if Gesar called me in, it means he wants to ask me to do something. It means he needs help. He says everyone’s on holiday ...’

‘He needs more cannon fodder,’ Svetlana snapped. ‘Anton ... never mind, you won’t listen to me anyway. Just be careful.’

‘Sveta, you don’t seriously think that Gesar’s going to put me in any danger, do you?’ I said cautiously. ‘I understand the way you feel about him ...’

‘Be careful,’ said Svetlana. ‘For our sake. All right?’

‘All right,’ I promised. ‘I’m always very careful.’

‘I’ll call if I sense anything else,’ said Svetlana. She seemed to have calmed down a bit. ‘And you call, all right? If anything at all unusual happens, call. Okay?’

‘Okay, I’ll call.’

Svetlana paused for a few seconds, then before she hung up, she said:

‘You ought to leave the Watch, third-grade Light Magician ...’

It all ended on a suspiciously cheerful note, with a cheap jibe ... Although we had agreed a long time ago not to discuss that subject — three years earlier, when Svetlana left the Night Watch. And we hadn’t broken our promise once. Of course. I used to tell my wife about my work ... at least, about the jobs that I wanted to remember. And she always listened with interest. But now she had come right out with it.
Could she really have sensed something bad?

Anyway, I got ready to go slowly and reluctantly. I put on a suit, then changed into jeans and a checked shirt, then thought ‘to hell with it!’ and got into my shorts and a black T-shirt with an inscription that said: ‘My friend was clinically dead, but all he brought me from the next world was this T-shirt!’ I might look like a German tourist, but at least I would retain the semblance of a holiday mood in front of Gesar.

Eventually I left the building with just twenty minutes to spare. I had to flag down a car and feel out the probability lines — and then tell the driver which streets to take so we wouldn’t hit any traffic jams.
The driver accepted my instructions hesitantly, he obviously had serious doubts.

But we got there on time.

* * *

The lifts weren’t working — there were guys in blue overalls loading them with paper sacks of cement. I set off up the stairs on foot, and discovered that the second floor of our office was being refurbished. There were workmen lining the walls with sheets of plasterboard, and plasterers bustling about beside them, filling in the seams. At the same time they were installing a false ceiling, which already covered the air-conditioning pipes.

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While not directly related to the book, and only indirectly thro

While not directly related to the book, and only indirectly through his author, I'm struggling with finding a better channel to communicate this. My apologies to those who might find it inappropriate. I hope that at least some people who might be considering patronizing Mr Lukyanenko by purchasing his books will find this information to be of interest, however.

I'm sure that everyone has heard about the recent events on Ukraine. It's making quite a splash in Russia, too, and Mr Lukyanenko was quick to make some statements in his blog. In particular, on February 22 - in the aftermath of the three bloodiest days of the protest, during which over 80 people died in a hail of bullets - he has this to say to an Ukrainian commenter:

&quot;There is no such country as Ukraine, and there shall never be. Either it will be a part of Russia, or else a Polish protectorate.&quot;

&quot;Ukraine is, henceforth, a cursed land, which have to redeem its villainy and cowardice for three generations to come.&quot;This outburst was triggered by the fact that some of Mr Lukyanenko's colleagues in Ukraine have vocally supported the protesters and even took part in the protests themselves. Addressing them specifically, he made some more specific threats:

&quot;To the Ukrainian fiction writers ... if any of the writer 'persons' that glorified the Maidan [Independence Square in Kiev on which the protesters clashed with police] and maidaners, who, at the same time, write in Russian and publish in Russia, will try to appear on any of the Russian [writer] conventions - I will stand against it. If they will want to publish in Russia - I will use all my power to stop them. Have some integrity, bastards! I shall no longer travel to Ukraine, participate in Ukrainian conventions, and forbid the translation of my works to Ukrainian.&quot;

Speaking of integrity, it should also be noted that Mr Lukyanenko believes that the events in Ukraine are plotted by Western countries, and US in particular, in order to destabilize the region to the detriment of Russia. He did not, however, make claims similar to the above with respect to publishing in those countries, or translating his books to English. So it is up to you, as a prospective buyer and reader, to take all of the above into account and act according to your conscience.

3 out of 15 people found this review helpful.

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TBrokaw

Posted July 21, 2009

I Also Recommend:

An interesting series, great books.

I really like this series, it's an interesting take on supernatural mythology, with a great play between good and evil especially the blurry line between. I think the perspective of the author is unique, and I really identified with the main character Anton. Good books if your looking for something different.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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ChelseySanes

Posted November 18, 2008

I Also Recommend:

My Favorite Series of All TIme

When I first read Night Watch, i was captivated. I soon read Day Watch and then Twilight/(or Dusk) Watch (they go in order) Lukanenko has got the whole perspective thing down. He explains things like others, and the gloom so well. He does it in such a way that when you try to explain what the book is really about to your friends, it doesn't do it justice. It sounds cliche but in reality its far far from it. I have never kept with a series like this ever. Im growing antsy for Last Watch<BR/>and every time I get to the end of one of the books, i put it down, because i don't want to finish it because then its over. Im recommending this series to anyone who appreciates fantasy and writers that don't sell out and make cliche vampire love stories (im not knocking Stephanie Mayers and Twilight but the hype is just annoying and frankly there is really nothing special or extra ordinary about those Twilight books)<BR/>The Watch Series isn't about love, I cant tell you what the books are about, because everyone takes something different out of them. I will tell you, what I took out of it- I think its about finding the light within yourself amidst the evil that surrounds us in this world. These books truly were fascinating, enlightening, and amazing.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted December 14, 2007

A reviewer

I have to say that I have read this book in its original language, that is Russian of course. But I still think that the book would be interesting to anyone who likes science fiction or just wants to spend some time with a good book in their hands. The story starts out with something you would never expect that can happen in the world of Others. You meet your favorite characters, and once again author shows us how thin the line is between good and evil. It twists your mind because you're not even sure anymore if the 'Dark ones' are bad at all.. Author also makes it clear that good and evil are just two halves of a whole. There is also a theme of doing something that is good for everyone, themes of being equal, and how it is not possible in the world we live in. Something that is good for one is bad for the Other. It is simply those who have more power decide what will happen... Wonderful book, keeps your attention until the very end. The style is very typical for this author, when you feel sad even if at the end everything is fine.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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RaveninNC

Posted March 6, 2014

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Anonymous

Posted January 18, 2008

Outstanding

An amazing piece of dark fiction. The prose resonates, pulses, and pounds with subdued ferocity, driving deep into your brain like a hard rock ballad. Anyone with a love of good, dark prose and well-formed plot will adore this series!

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